Ven.
Master: [Addressing the assembly] You should all know how Long Beach
Sagely Monastery was established.

Disciple:
We are very lucky to have such a fine place. It used to be a
Catholic convent. The nuns lived a cloistered life here for 40 years.
Since they never went out, they had their own clinic and their own bakery for
making bread and cookies. Although people made offerings to them, the
convent was not entirely open to the public. There was a small area in
the front for visitors, but the rest of the convent was closed to the public.

Later,
feeling that the place no longer suited their needs, the nuns moved to a new
place in
Santa Barbara
. The timing was right....

Ven.
Master: ...I did not come here to take a look--I only listened to
your description of the place. I didn't see it before we bought it.

Disciple:
....It's a famous landmark in
Long Beach
because the nuns lived and cultivated here for 40 years. All the local
Catholics know this place. If you just mention that it's at the
intersection of
Redondo Avenue
and
Ocean Boulevard
, people will know it.

When
we bought the place, we asked them to leave the statue of the Virgin Mary in
the front, because we also worship her as Guanyin Bodhisattva. Even now,
Catholics still come to pay homage and bring lots of fresh flowers to offer to
her every day.

Originally,
there wasn't an area large enough to serve as a Buddha hall. The Buddha
hall we are sitting in now used to be a garden. After we drew up a
design and applied for permits from the City, we converted the garden into the
Buddha hall.

Ven.
Master: You should all know the history of Long Beach Sagely
Monastery. It was purchased by the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas--no one
else paid a penny. I remember the history of each of our temples
very well.

I
want to tell you that, from now on, you may make donations according to your
ability--whether you wish to perform services to save the deceased, renovate a
temple, and so on. Although we now have so many temples and the expenses
are not small, we can still manage to feed and clothe everyone, and no one
will have to freeze or go hungry.

Now,
you who are my disciples should know that your teacher is poor, and you ought
to follow me in poverty. Once you have money, troubles come and you
cannot cultivate. Once you have wealth, you will want to eat, drink, and
have fun--and you will stop at nothing. You won't be like your teacher
who uses the same napkin for many days. I don't think any of my
disciples do that.

You
are all from free countries and don't know how to be thrifty. For that
reason, I don't want to be like those money-grubbers who say, "What
Heaven has conferred is called money; accordance with nature is called money.
Money may not be parted with for an instant."

Today,
I am very happy. This monastery is much bigger than the one we had on
Huntington Drive
in 1976. It has a garden and overlooks the ocean, and the air is quite
fresh.